Anyone seen Lincoln the movie?

stinky-gardener(7/SouthEastern VA)November 20, 2012

I thought it was wonderful! I would love to hear thoughts on the film from those here who have seen it.

I felt DD Lewis was Lincoln! A truly remarkable performance. Spielberg magically creates the 1860's world of heated politics, wheeling & dealing, spinning & compromise. Even though we know how things turn out, suspense nonetheless builds, & we feel the thrill of victory for Lincoln & the life-altering promise of the 13th amendment.

Lewis's nuanced performance offers the rich subtleties of Lincoln's presence- his (usually) quiet, thoughtful, but intensely engaged manner reveals a man who was not only a brilliant orator, but a truly gifted listener.

I left the film impressed (& refreshed) by how bereft of vanity & desire for self-aggrandizement Lincoln was, & how he lived very much in the moment, with a deep appreciation, even a child-like wonder, for the life that unfolded before him.

We also saw it this weekend. An amazing performance by Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln. Today's politicians wouldn't survive an hour in the rough & tumble House of Representatives of Lincoln's time. Also interesting how the Republicans & the Democrats have pretty much flipped roles since then. Much of the language & terms used were true to the time period so no politically correct, sensitive terminology in the movie.

Anna Karenina has received some pretty bad reviews, e.g. if you loved the book you'll hate the movie (It's my favorite novel), the production is very overdone, and Keira Knightley and the actor who plays Vronsky are not up to their roles. So for us, back to the version with Vivien Leigh.

I saw the Lincoln movie today and it is impressive in ways that people not sensitive to anachronism wont understand. Lewis was seriously impressive in his role but the supporting cast of congressmen and cabinet members was simply astonishing. The whole thing hung together-literally your were there for a moment in history that has all but been forgetten.

stinky-gardener, my take-away from the film was Mr. Lincoln's justification for a portrait of George Washington hanging in a bathroom!
PS. At a personal level, as a horticulturist, I find your nom de plume mildly contradictory. There must be a good story behind it. Care to share?

I was referring to the predicable scenes when the Democrat leaders were "shocked" and outraged when some of their party members voted differently than they anticipated and the predictable smug reactions from the Republicans.

The villian always gets his comeuppance and it's that "gotcha" that seems to be presented the same way in most every film.

I did not see the outrage as humor-given the politics of the time and what politics are you would certainly be outraged if a member of your caucus has been 'bought' by the other side. An interesting historical point to me was seeing how that system could be used. The eventual result of all the outrage was the passage of legislation that resulted in taking most federal jobs out of the patronage system. I think it is a weird point that most jobs being taken out of the patronage system was the result of corruption on the part of the office givers-a job could be removed from the system by the president giving someone a life interest in the job so as to prevent the next administration from using it to buy support.

I was amazed by the filming of the interior scenes-rooms and the way people lived in them has changed so much. The background was astonishingly real to the time and would have been very difficult to film.

We saw Lincoln this afternoon. Utterly atmospheric...you can practically smell the cigar smoke and the tobacco juice! And the lighting...it's something to see how little indoor light people death with as a matter of course back in those days.
Superb performances! My only complaint: too few scenes with Jared Harris (General Grant.)

I haven't seen the movie yet but heard rave reviews. I am interested in seeing how the time period is reflected. I live in a pre -civil war house with pre -civil war furnishings. I want to check for inaccuracies, but I'm sure they had many consultants on this movie to get it right.

The owner of my house was shot as he stood by the town pump which is in my front yard by rebel snipers from a passing train on their way to Gettysburg. I heard a speaker say there were many rebel scouts in my town , and they mentioned the locations. Cool to think they may have walked by my house.

Wow, what a treat to check back in & read your responses! Sounds like most enjoyed the movie & appreciated the rich historical details.

Lily316, your historic house & furnishings sound charming & wonderful! I love old houses & old things. Thanks for sharing the fate of the original owner...yikes! What stories your whole neighborhood can tell, I'm sure.

Ronalawn, I enjoyed that little story about Washington's portrait too! Very cute. You are a horticulturist? What an amazing profession. Your work must be very rewarding. I adore plants...learning about them, working with them, & of course, they bring such beauty & grace into our lives. Lawns are another story. I've worked my caboose off on this lawn for the 6.5 years we've been here. What a challenge! Especially a Fescue lawn in my neck of the woods, between July & September (as you can imagine, I'm sure!)

As for my screen name...well it's a double entendre, I suppose. A triple one, really. (Depends on the day as to which meaning would be most fitting!) In addition to "stinky" in reference to a disagreeable odor, or to a task poorly executed, in our house, it is a term of endearment.

One may hear me say, "Come give me a kiss, you stinky man!" or, "What are you doing now, you stinky cat?" When I asked my husband what he thought of the new tree I recently bought & decorated, he replied, "It just looks stinky." So, I knew I'd done a good job! LOL!